The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy

The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy

(New York: Pegasus Books, 2019).

This is the story of the unique friendship between Lee and Jackson, two leaders who chiseled a strategic path forward against the odds and almost triumphed.

Why was the partnership between Generals Lee and Jackson so important to the South’s bid for independence? What was it about their styles, friendship, even their faith, that cemented them together into a fighting machine that consistently won despite often overwhelming odds against them?

The Great Partnership has the power to change how we think about Confederate strategic decision-making and the value of personal relationships among senior leaders responsible for organizational survival. Those relationships in the Confederate high command were particularly critical for victory, especially the one that existed between the two great Army of Northern Virginia generals.

It has been over two decades since any author attempted a joint study of the two leaders. This book will inspire lively debate among students of Civil War history and significantly revise how we evaluate Confederate strategy at the height of the war. Perhaps most importantly, Christian B. Keller’s engaging narrative will help us understand why, in the end, the South lost.

Winner, Douglas Southall Freeman History Award, 2020

Finalist, Gilder Lehrman Best Book in Military History Prize, 2019

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